In the comments of my last post, as well as via text and email, many of you asked what were very non-rachet questions. (Or rachet questions put in a nice, loving way.) Since not everyone comes back to view comments, I’m writing a book about my cancer experience I wanted to come back and answer them here. Note: none of the public questions asked of me were rachet. I just like that word. Here we go. Is cancer really different for each person? This question comes from my friend Linda, who I became acquainted with through Twitter, then met in person years later. Her full question: I’ve understood that it’s different for each person, even when they have they same cancer. Is that a misconception? Yes, this is true, in many ways. Here’s how I came to understand it. You and I could both catch the same cold virus. Even though we have the same strain we caught the same day in the same place, you might have a better immune system than I do and fight it off, never actually coming down with the common cold. I might get sick, and have a hard time breathing because I also have asthma. My nieces and nephews could get it from me, but respond differently to actually being sick, even if they feel the same symptoms. My eldest nephew in the house is just a physically tough kid. Unless he has a fever, he’s still going to be able to play

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